ACS Trials app was designed by cardiology fellows and internal medicine residents to provide a platform to enlist over 80 important trials in acute coronary syndrome (ACS) in one place for quick and easy access on-the-go. Each trial summary consists of take home message, background, historical context behind the trial, inclusion and exclusion criteria, methods, results, strengths and limitations, funding sources, ACC/AHA guidelines and links to full-text articles. The summary also includes insights by the reviewing physicians which provides a good sounding board to critically analyze the trials. There are also 30+ free medical calculators included in the app for use in cardiac care. This app is a quick and valuable reference tool to access the practice changing trials in ACS.

Some of the top free (provider and/or patient facing) cardiology apps are:

Prognosis: Cardiology

ACC’s CardioSmart Explorer

ACC’s Anticoag Evaluator

ACC’s ASCVD Risk Estimator

ACC’s Guideline Clinical app

Kardia by Alivecor

Cardiio

PulsePoint

Blood Pressure Monitor by Taconic systems

Airstrip Cardiology

Cardiology Tool by Epocrates

SecuraFone Health

HeartEvidence Pro: Landmark trials in cardiology

Some essential paid/free with premium apps:

ECG Guide by QxMD

ACS Trials

1. Prognosis: Cardiology

Prognosis cardiology app is designed for practitioners of cardiology, developed by Medical Joyworks, LLC. There are interactive cases on topics ranging from M.I. and heart failure to valvular disorders, cardiomyopathies, connected tissue disorders, and everything in between. It is a very useful tool for everyday practice for cases, specially for residents and fellows in cardiology. There are 37 cases from real-time patients, and it includes an interactive investigations and therapeutic interventions section. It also includes a detailed explanation for each case. This is a highly rated app and a must have for those interested in cardiology, and is available iniTunes or Google Play store for free.

2. ACC’s CardioSmart Explorer

CardioSmart Explorer is one of the ACC apps developed to aid physicians to virtually demonstrate moving, interactive images of the heart and cardiac conditions and procedures to their patients in real-time at point-of-care. One can draw over the images to explain normal cardiac anatomy, conduction system, blood flow and heart conditions like M.I., heart failure, valvular disorders, etc. It also has a ‘stent interactive’ feature which explains coronary occlusion and stenting. This is an excellent app which facilitates doctor-patient communication during a doctor’s visit about the patient’s condition, and imparts the required knowledge to the patient. An informed patient is a more compliant patient.

3. ACC’s Anticoag Evaluator

Anticoag Evaluator is a great resource for physicians to facilitate better decisions related to antithrombotic use for nonvalvular AF patients. It uses the HASBLED and CHA2DS2-Vasc scores with other parameters to calculate the stroke risk and renal function. The therapy recommendations are based on the ACC guidelines and the risk is calculated based on well-established multi centric trials, which helps the physician avoid complications like bleeding. The app is derived from robust evidence.

4. ACC’s ASCVD Risk Estimator

ASCVD Risk Estimator was designed by the ACC to estimate the 10 year and lifetime cardiovascular atherosclerosis risk based on ACC guidelines. It provides therapy and lifestyle recommendations based on the risk score. In addition, there are references for physicians and patients for resources and recommendations.

5. ACC’s Guideline Clinical app

The Guideline Clinical app again developed by ACC provides guideline-based recommendations and calculates risk scores based on different criteria. It also has dosing calculators and protocol-based algorithms. It basically summarizes the other ACC apps into one combined platform where it shows all the therapy and clinical recommendations and risks based on established evidence and protocol guidelines. It is a valuable tool for clinicians dealing with cardiac care patients at all stages.

6. Kardia by Alivecor

Kardia is a FDA approved breakthrough device with an accompanying mobile app which detects and records EKG wirelessly from anytime, anywhere, in 30 seconds. It lets you store your present and past EKGs and share them with your doctor. In addition, Kardia also tracks palpitations, shortness of breath, diet, sleep and exercise. It facilitates instant EKG analysis and consultations with board-certified cardiologists to check for the heart rhythm and diagnosis of Afib. The app is free but it works in conjunction with the Kardia Mobile or Kardia Band upon its purchase. It is a great tool for anyone who wishes or needs to have access to a medical-grade EKG reading on-the-go.

7. Cardiio

Cardiio is an iPhone app incorporating cutting-edge technology developed at the MIT, which involves recording your heart rate simply by taking an image of your face. It works on the principle that each time the heart beats, more blood flows through the face. Each time there is an increased blood volume, more light gets absorbed and less is reflected off the face. This change in light reflection is captured in the camera of your phone. Cardiio provides a pretty accurate estimate of your heart rate and is comparable to other commonly used wearables. It also tells you your fitness and endurance levels and compares it with peers. There is a graphic representation of heart rate trends and reminders provided. The premium features include pulse waveform, life expectancy, 7-minute workout, calories burned during each workout. It also syncs with Apple’s Health app and you can share your data with friends and family.

8. PulsePoint by PulsePoint Foundation

PulsePoint is a great app which maps people having a cardiac arrest with those who are trained CPR first responders in the vicinity of the victim, through local emergency services. It also directs the CPR first responder to the nearest available automated external defibrillator (AED) in the area in order to shock the victim as required. This app uses a sophisticated location tracking software for the service and has proved to be a lifesaving tool in certain areas in the country where it has been implemented. More locations should be encouraged to participate in collaboration with their local fire department.

9. Blood Pressure Monitor by Taconic systems

The Blood Pressure Monitor recording and tracking app does exactly that. In addition, it allows you to add reminders for various things like time to measure BP, time for medications, etc. It also has a graphic representation of BP, pulse and weight for tracking trends, and keeping up-to-date with one’s progress. You can also email/share your reports with anyone, in addition to some premium features.

10. Airstrip Cardiology

AirStrip Cardiology app is designed for use by physicians, but to be able to use it, the physician’s healthcare facility must have purchased and installed AirStrip Cardiology. This app allows timely and accurate diagnosis and treatment of the cardiac patient, in the pre-hospital or inpatient space. It also helps people from different participating teams to collaborate, ie. Emergency Medical Systems (EMS), hospital ER and cardiology teams, specially when transporting potential AMI and STEMI patients. Physicians wirelessly receive 12 lead ECG waveforms and other data from EMS and/or the hospital. Using the app, they can access and interact with this data anytime, anywhere on their mobile devices via wifi or mobile data. Doctors can also review and compare past ECGs by comparing the full 12-lead view or individual lead views side by side.

11. Cardiology Tool by Epocrates

This app helps clinicians perform essential day-to-day cardiology calculations in patient care. There are over 25 calculators and tools including CHADS2, CO2 production, C.O., valve area, MAP, metabolic syndrome criteria, O2 parameters, QT interval correction, TIMI score, VLDL, and many more. It could save a lot of time while on patient floors and assist in better clinical decision making.

12. SecuraFone Health by SecuraTrac

SecuraFone Health app is a unique app with many lifesaving features. It allows the physician to wirelessly monitor vitals, body position, activity and GPS tracking 24×7. It then sends trigger alerts and customized notifications to a 24/7 monitoring service, 911, healthcare providers, family or friends, via email and/or text. This app can detect a potential medical emergency indicated by a change in vitals. It also incorporates GPS location tracking and speed monitoring which can be used very effectively in the elderly population and to monitor children and dementia patients. A sensor placed on the chest receives the data and connects via bluetooth. The app measures HR, RR, skin temperature, body position, fall detection, stress and activity. SecuraFone can serve as a great lifesaving tool for patients with certain conditions and those prone to potential medical emergencies.

13. HeartEvidence Pro: Landmark trials in cardiology

HeartEvidence Pro is a great resource to access the landmark clinical trials in cardiology. This app was designed by internal medicine residents. There are five broad disease categories, namely, hypertension, atrial fibrillation, heart failure, acute coronary syndrome and stable CAD/high CV risk. Under each category the trials are divided by medical and surgical interventions for that category ie. drugs and interventional trials. Each trial summary consists of target disease, intervention, format, treatment and control group, inclusion and exclusion criteria, conclusion, comments and links to full-text articles. It is a handy tool to look up relevant cardiology trials.

Some great paid apps:

1. The ECG Guide is an exhaustive resource for ECG interpretation for medical professionals. It includes a variety of topics including, approach to ECG interpretation, ECG waveform analysis, ventricular hypertrophy, atrial enlargement, ischemia, arrhythmias, heart blocks, 2009 AHA guidelines on EKG interpretation, etc. It also has over 200 sample EKGs with common and complex findings and over 100 multiple-choice quiz questions. It includes summary pages and etiology and differential diagnosis of different ECG findings, with pediatric values. It costs $0.99.

ACS Trials app was designed by cardiology fellows and internal medicine residents to provide a platform to enlist over 80 important trials in acute coronary syndrome (ACS) in one place for quick and easy access on-the-go. Each trial summary consists of take home message, background, historical context behind the trial, inclusion and exclusion criteria, methods, results, strengths and limitations, funding sources, ACC/AHA guidelines and links to full-text articles. The summary also includes insights by the reviewing physicians which provides a good sounding board to critically analyze the trials. There are also 30+ free medical calculators included in the app for use in cardiac care. This app is a quick and valuable reference tool to access the practice changing trials in ACS.